From the NY Times today:

Where are we as a nation on the issue of abortion 31 yrs after this historic decision?

Personally I will weigh in to say that I believe abortion needs to remain legal, but much more needs to be done to offer education and resources to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

Peace,

J

I think in all fairness that many more women should be involved in drafting any future legislation regarding abortion. Remember at the signing of the ban on partial-birth abortion? There were all men crowded around GWB, but not one single woman. Why?

I definitely agree with that, Chris- abortion is an issue that deals with a process that occurs in a woman's body so womens' views need to be heard and respected, and I believe they are by the vast majority of Americans...

I do not believe the abortion decision will ever be reversed nor should it- abortion needs to remain legal, safe and accessable.

My point in advocating for more measures to help women prevent unwanted pregnancies is that I have seen the trauma and grief abortion can cause in a woman's life.

I have numerous friends who have had abortions. They all believe it was the right thing to do at that time in their lives, but it is a serious loss and emotional scar that they grieve for years and years.

I believe that our legislators, both Republican and Democrats need to just accept that abortion is legal and needs to remain a legal, safe option and move to promote more efforts to offer education and resources to help prevent unwanted pregnancies. I would venture to say that the vast majority of women who get abortions, see it as a last resort, and would have preferred to prevent the unwanted or unsafe pregnancy if there had been a way to do so.

I also believe that more needs to be offered in the area of grief counseling and emotional support for women who elect to have abortions.

Peace,

J

I am of the opinion that each woman should be allowed to make any and all decision in regards to her body. How is it my right or an old white republican's right to tell a woman whose circumstances they do not know what is best for her?

I was in DC in 2001 and attended a Roe V. Wade march and I wsan't suprised that the majority of Pro-Lifers were middle-aged white men. Why is that?

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"Just go with it."

Well said. I think a lot more work needs to be done with contraception. RU-486 needs to remain legal...there have been so many advances, but so many more are needed.

I believe that issues of human sexuality such as STD's and specifically AIDS/HIV need to continue to be addressed and researched...Pregnancy is no longer the biggest scar to women. The continued spread of STDs sometimes renders women infertile or exposed to cervical cancer, and these are important health issues that the medical community should continue to address.

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Resident of Fishtown, Moderator of Fish/No. Libs/Kenzo forum, Real Estate Agent-Prudential Fox & Roach

What I also find amusing is the push for abstinence-only education. I took a Religion and Feminism class in college where we looked at these radical religious groups who basically tell kids that if they have sex before they are married then they will go to hell and die. Yet, research has shown that kids in these groups end up with higher pregnancy rates then kids who are taught about birth control and STDs.

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"Just go with it."

I did clinic defense work in Buffalo when Operation Rescue came there back in the early 90's. All of them were white men. Why is this? Well, I don't think it's a coincidence that sexual freedom and independence for women--giving them rights to choose their own destiny--threatens a lot of men. I'm not discounting the belief that abortion is murder...and that the large of Catholics are white...but men do show up more disproportionately. I think men can't relate...regardless of if women think abortion is okay, I think the vast majority understand why it should be an option and could see themselves in that situation, regardless of the choice they would make.

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Resident of Fishtown, Moderator of Fish/No. Libs/Kenzo forum, Real Estate Agent-Prudential Fox & Roach

Yes, I agree with the notion that pushing abstinence alone is insane. However, at the same time, I think it should be taught in connection with sex ed. Kids are growing up too quickly. At the same time, they should be educated about whatever choices they make.

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Resident of Fishtown, Moderator of Fish/No. Libs/Kenzo forum, Real Estate Agent-Prudential Fox & Roach

From naral.com: (National Abortion Rights Action League)


Today, Thursday, January 22, marks the 31st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that recognized a woman's right to decide the most private aspects of her life. But instead of celebrating another year of a woman's right to choose, we are working to ensure that 2004 is not the year that the rights of privacy and choice are extinguished.


Energized by President Bush, an organized anti-choice movement is successfully taking our choices away. In December President Bush signed the first-ever federal criminal ban on abortion procedures, and he continues to pack our nation's federal courts with anti-choice activist judges who have compared abortion to slavery, called Roe v. Wade abominable, and said that a wife should be subordinate to her husband. State governments are also intruding further than they have in years into women's private lives and decisions: in 2003 alone state legislatures considered 558 anti-choice measures, a 35.1% increase from 2002. NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation's annual State-by-State Report on the Status of Women's Reproductive Rights reports that these anti-choice gains reduced our nation's grade on women's access to abortion to a dismal D.


Despite these challenges, everyone here at NARAL Pro-Choice America is optimistic because we know that the future of personal privacy and a woman's right to choose relies on the vigilance and commitment of our supporters - you.


For this year's Roe v. Wade anniversary, please take the next step in protecting our rights by signing up to be a Pro-Choice Leader today. Right now 1,361 activists have signed up to be Pro-Choice Leaders, and so far they have recruited more than 3,000 new pro-choice people to our Choice Action Network. We can only build on this success with your help. Sign up today.


To see how your state measures up on choice, check out your state's profile page on the State-by-State Report released today. Then visit our website to find out what else you can do to make sure this isn't the last year for Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to choose.


Warmly,

Kate Michelin

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Resident of Fishtown, Moderator of Fish/No. Libs/Kenzo forum, Real Estate Agent-Prudential Fox & Roach

No woman has ever had anything important to say. Except Ayn Rand. ;-)

Kill em' all. :twisted:

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Jason
Lynn Swann 06'

"Individualism is absent when other peoples' standards, not reality and reason, are ones primary guide."